Welding apparatus



Sept. 13, 1932. c. L. ROWLAND 1,376,762

WELDING APPARATUS Original Filed Jan. 27, 1926 6 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 13, 1932. c. L. ROWLAND 1,376,762

WELDING APPARATUS Original Filed Jan. 27, 1926 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 P 1932- c. R OWLAND WELDING APPARATUS 6 Sheets-Sheet I5 Original Filed Jan. 27, 1926 Sept. 13, 1932. c. L. ROWLAND WELDING APPARATUS Original Filed Jan. .27, 1926 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 anwmm M 3. Rmlmfi Sept. 13, 1932. c. L. ROWLAND WELDING APPARTQTUS Original Filed Jar i. 27, 1926 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Sept. 13, 1932. c; L. ROWLAND 1,876,762

, WELDING APPARATUS Original Filed Jan. '27. 1926 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 42 //4 :a'mz

I aweam Patented Sept. 13, 1932 P UNIT D/STAT PATENT 1 OFFICE CHARLES L. ROWLAND, DECEASED; LATE 'A. RESIDENT E CARBONDALE, PENN SYL- VANIA; BY KATHRYN El BOWLAN DQ'EXECUTBIX; OF CARBONDALE, PENNSYLVANIA, AND EDWARD AX'DE LANEY; EXEC'DTIIOIRI, CF CARBONDALE; PENNSYLVANIA, AS- SIGNQRS TO AMERICAN WELDING GOMPA-N'Y OFCARBONDALE, PENNSYLVANIA, A

CORPORATION-0F DELAWARE I i I WELDING ArPARA'rUs Original application filed. Jaaaary 27; 1926, seriai'n $4,134. mviaea and this application filed April 29,

' i 1530. Serial No..448,252.

This invention relatest'o a 'welding fapparatus and has for one object the production of means for welding a branch or neck onto a pipe or tank, though the inventionis adapted for Welding work in fields other than those v V 1 a 'mg member and its mountlng, the View bepertaining to pipes or tanks This application is a d vls on of copending application Serial No. 84,134, filed January 27 1926, and contemplates'certainimprovef O ments in welding apparatus.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a welding machine-having exterior and interior welding members which are rotatable around a fixed piece of work'to effect welding thereof, or which are"'rotatable tion.

around fixed pieces of Work to be welded together. v a

' Another object of this inventionfis the provision'of a welding machinehaving exterior and interior welding members adapted to engage Work to be Welded, withtransmission means to effect relative movement between thewelding members and the work.

A further object of this invention is. the V p I shown as weldinga neck onto a piece of work provision of means for actuating welding members of a welding machine to a position to effect weldingof a piece of work.

A still further object of thisfinvention is the provision of a complete and unitary machine for first heating parts to bewelded together and then actuating exterior and interior welding members .to a welding posi- 7 Other 7 objects advantages of. this invention' will be apparent" fromthe jfoilow ing description taken 'with' the accompanying drawings in which: p Fig. MS a view partly in section-and partly in side elevation showing the apparatus 0f "the present invention.

vFig. 2 is a partial sectional view taken on the line.2-"2,Fig. 1 "Fig. 3 isa fragmentary viewpf some'of the parts shownfinFig' 'lgbut withithe-ele- -ments in-a different position. 1

in Fig. 5.

ing'taken in the direction of the arrow shown Figs. 7

sectional views through the center of the ap- F ig; 6 is an end View of'the exterior weld- I and 8 are top'plan views of the apparatus showing the exterior furnacesin two paratus showing modified forms of the in-v vention.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the apparatus of the present invention includes a base indicated generallyat A ment and the welding means both of which being more fully described hereinafter.

The apparatus of'the present invention is C which is'indicated in the-present instance as aportion 'of-a'tank having a manhole opening 2 surrounded by a flange lto which a neck 6is to be welded.""Thework'C is supported on a work support'8 of any suitable ordesir'edxch'aracter and,' during the operation of welding, the neck 6 is: temporarily "supported in any desired manner;

Thebase A is shown :as being. cylindrical I but this .is merelyby way ofexample, and secured to the upper edge of'said'base is a circular track .10 on which the turret B rotates, the latter comprising a turret'ba'se i channel form between the flanges ofwhich the rollers 14 are journaled; the rollers riding on the circular track 10. The turret B includes a top 16 having a base18 in the form of an annularfiange which restsjupon and is preferably The top 16' of the turret is provided with'an secured to the circular channel 12. c

the end of a shaft 32 carried in bearings 34 forming parts of a bracket 36 which is secured to the base A. For rotating the shaft .32 and hence the pinion 80 and ring gear 28,

a pinion 38 is keyed to the lower end of the shaft 32 and is driven from any suitable source of power.

As before mentioned, the work on which the particular apparatus shown is capable of acting is here selected as a tank, to which the neck 6 is to be secured'to the flange 14. In

the present instance both the exterior and in' terior surfaces of the work have welding heat and pressure applied thereto.

Suitable exteriorfurnace equipment is provided which in the instance shown, comprises traveling furnaces 4G and 42 respectively (see Figs. 7 and 8) which are preferably segmental in shape and which when in heat applying position as shown in Fig. 8 substantially surround the work but leave an intervening gap 44. These furnaces are mounted on carriages 46 that travel on curved tracks 48; the carriages having the rollers 50, and the tracks being mounted or secured to the turret top 16., v

Nozzles 52 supply fuel 'to these exterior furnaces 40and 4-2 and these nozzles receive fuel from pipes 54 which are connected as at 56 to a header 58 which receives fuel from a pipe 60. To permit movement of the fur acylinder 6.8. Thecylinder has a piston therein secured to the end of a piston rod 7 2 which latter is secured to a slide 74 which moves in guides 76 secured tothe turret top.

Arranged between the guides 7 6 and sup- .ported on the turret top'16 is'a-plate 7 8 having a plurality of spaced upstanding flanges 80 between which the lower ends of pins 82 may extend'to position the slide 7 4 and hence the piston 70with respect to the cylinder 68. The cylinder 68 may be of any preferred construction and ismounted for sliding movement in the guides 76. It will be apparent that when fluid under pressure is admitted to the cylinder on either side of the piston 70 the cylinder is actuated to move radiallyof the turret top and thus urge the roll 62 toward or away from the work, and toadmit this'fluid under pressure, hose connections 84 extend to each end of the cylinder (see Fig. 5) and have their opposite ends connected to a 4-way valve 86 which receives fluid under pressure from a main intake pipe 88 from which said fluid passes into a header 90 to be delivered to the valve 86. Extending from the valve 86 as shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 5 is an exhaustpipe92 which is adapted to discharge fluid under pressure from one end of the cylinder when fluid under pressure is admitted to the opposite end of the cylinder.

The header 90 is also connect-ed to a valve 94 to which latter a feed pipe 96 is connected which has its opposite end connected to the interior of thecylinder 24-whereby to admit fuel under pressure beneath the ram 26. The valve 94 is provided with an exhaust pipe 95 to permit. discharge of fluid from pipe 96 upon descent of the ram 26.

For heating the interior surface of the work, a traveling furnace indicated at 98 is provided and in the instance shown in Fig. 1, and also in Figs. 9 and 10, this furnace 98 is supported by an interior welding tool 100; the latter being in the form of a roll mounted on the upper end of the ram 26. The roll 100 may be so mounted as to rotate with respect to the ram 26 or it maybe fixed with respect thereto and, in the instance shown in Fig. 1, the furnace 98 is supported by studs 102.

It is important that the heat should be applied to the interior surface of the work sul stantially equally, but it will also be under stood that the interior welding member 100 should contact with the work at only one point, viz., a point opposite the point of contact of the exterior welding member 62. The welding member 100 therefore is eccentrically disposed with respect to the work and this may be done by mounting said welding member eccentrically with respect to the center or rotation of the turret B. The roll also be mounted eccentrically with respect to the rain 26 as shown in the present drawings. The interiorfurnace 98 need not be carried by the interior welding member 100 and need not rotate, but if carried by said member 100 it is preferably concentrically disposed with re spect to the'interior surface of the work in order that heat may be uniformly applied throughout the entire interior circumference of the work. 7

In Figs. 9 and 10 are shown modified forms of the invention. In Fig. 9 the welding member 100 is concentric with the ram 26 and consequently the furnace 98 is eccentric with respect to the welding member 100, while in Fig. 10 substantially the same arrangement is shown as is present in Fig. 9 with the exception that the distributor heads H (hereinafter described) .are arranged eccentric with respect to the ram 26 but in line with the furnace 98. Figs. 9 and 10 also show the fuel connectionsas extending into the furnace from above, they being indicated at 104 but this is merely a variation of the preferred construction now to be described.

For supplying fuel to the interior furnace 98, the pipe 60 extends to a cylinder 106 which telescopically receives the lower end of a fuel pipe 108 the upper end of which latter is connected to a nozzle 110 for feeding the furnace 98.

The fuel and fluid pressure may conveniently be brought into the apparatus by the following means. A main water pipe 112 is shown which extends through the base A and into a distributor head 11 1 into which latter the lower end of main intake pipe 88 extends and with respect to which it may be rotated. The main intake pipe extends upwardly through the distributor head I-I hereinbefore mentioned secured to the end closure 116 of the cylinder 2%. 118 indicates afuel pipe which leads to a distributor head 120 secured to the lower end of distributor H and into which latter fuel from the pipe 118 may pass and from which said fuel may pass into a pipe 122 which is connected to the pipe 60.

The pipes 112 and 118 are supported by a bracket 12a and the pipe 88 and distributor II is rotatable with respect to the heads 114 and 120 as will be apparent. In view of this arrangement, it is believed apparent that those skilled in the art will recognize that the turret B may be rotated with the furnaces and the fuel and fluid connections, on the base A.

Carried by the turret in any suitable or desired manner is an operators cage 126 in such a position that the levers for controlling the valves 86 and 94 are easily accessible.

The operation of the device of the present invention is believed to be clear. The work to be acted upon is placed inposition on the work holder and the neck 6 is temporarily sup ported in any suitable manner. The welding members 62 and 100 are withdrawn by actuat ing the valves 86 and 9 1 in an obvious man.

ner, and the furnaces are then ignited and placed in position. Rotation is then iinparted to the turret B thus rotating the furnaces with respect to the work and heating the work at the meeting edges which are to be welded. When the joint to be welded has been heated a sufficient amount, the valve 86 is actuated to admit fluid under pressure to the cylinder 68 whereby to urge the welding roll 62 to the position shown in Fig. 3 in the gap 44 between the exterior furnaces 4:0 and 4:2. The valve 94 is also actuated at this time to admit fluid under pressure beneath the ram 26 to elevate the latter to a position such that the welding roll 100 engages the work in a manner shown in Fig. 3, and it is apparent that a continued rotation of the turret will cause the welding rolls 62 and 100 to weld the neck 6 to the flange 4; of the tank C. The rolling and heating action is continued until a complete weld has been effected whereupon the rollers are then withdrawn and the furs is stopped of course and the exterior furnaces are swung awayfrom the work totheposition shown in 'Fig. 7 whereupon the workmay be removed from its support.

' From the above description it is believed that the construction and operation of the apparatus of the present invention will be fully apparent to those skilled in the art but it is to be understood that the drawings herein are for illustrative purposes only and various changes may bemade in the structure disclosed and within the spirit oft-he invention without departing from the scope of the appended claims. 7

What is claimed is:

1. In a welding apparatus, a rotatable turret, a pneumatic lift carried by said turret, and a welding member carried by the lift and eccentrically disposed with respect to the center of rotation of the turret.

-2. A welding machine including a work holder for hollow work, a base, a turret rotatable on the base, a pneumatic lift carried by the turret, an interior welding member actuated by the lift to be extended into the hollow work, an exterior welding member mounted on the turret and movable radially thereon to engage the work at a point in line with the interior welding member when the latter is .in elevated position, a header receiving fluid under pressure, a cylinder for carrying the exterior welding member and receiving fluid 7 from the header, means extending from the header to conduct fluid under pressure to the" lift for elevating the interior welding memher, and means for controlling the exhaust of fluid from the cylinder and lift to withdraw the welding members from the work.

3. In a welding machine, a work holder, a

base, a turret rotatable on the base, an exterior welding member, a cylinder to which the exterior welding member is connected, a piston supported on the turret and arranged in the cylinder, means for retaining the piston in a predetermined adjusted position with respect to the cylinder, and means for admitting fluid under pressure to the cylinder. to actuate the latter whereby to move the same into or away from contact with the work.

4. In a welding machine, a work holder, a base, a turret rotatable on the base, an exterior welding member, a cylinder to which the exterior welding member is connected, a piston supported on the turret and arranged in the cylinder, means for retaining the piston in a predetermined adjusted position with respect to the cylinder, means for admitting fluid under pressure to the cylinder to actuate the latter whereby to move the sameinto or away from contact with the work, and transmission devices for effecting rotation of the turret and welding member around the work.

5. In a welding machine, a work holder for hollow work, a base, a turret rotatable on the base, guides secured to the turret, a slide adjustable in said guides and having a piston secured thereto, a cylinder slidably mounted in the guides and having a Welding member carried thereby, and means for admitting fluid under pressure to the cylinder to actuate the latter whereby to urge the Welding memher into engagement with or away from the work.

In Witness whereof We have hereunto set our hands.

KATHRYN E. ROWLAND,

v r E meow/Wm, EDWARD A. DE LANEY, Emecutor, of Uharles L. Rowland, Deceased. 

